Football Transfer News: Manchester City’s Robinho Seals the Deal with Serie A Club AC Milan
From the start of this summer, it was clear that Robinho would not be staying at Manchester City. The player joined City two years ago on transfer deadline day, and now leaves them on exactly the same day. The period between, however, does not paint a rosy picture for the Brazilian.
Robinho was bought by Manchester City from Real Madrid after a payment of £32 million. It was, at that time, a record transfer fee paid by an English club for a player. This meant that the player had a lot of promises to fulfil, which he could not manage in the end. Robinho scored only 14 goals in 41 league matches for Manchester City, turning these two years into the darkest period of his football life.
However, there are no doubts about his potential, as he was immediately picked by Brazilian coach Dunga for the World Cup. Other players who had played much better football, like Ronaldinho and Alexandre Pato, were ignored by the coach. In fact, Robinho spent six months on a loan deal at Santos (from 28 January, 2010), and he showed his quality during that time. This meant that the player had great qualities, but was only hampered due to some other reasons.
Manchester City was never a good option for Robinho, but he was bent upon leaving Real Madrid, as he did not see good prospects at the club. A deal with City was made hastily, because no other club would have been able to produce the required amount of money on the deadline. City, on the other hand, had big cash flowing in; therefore, they did not hesitate to get Robinho’s services. However, Robinho could not mould himself according to his new conditions, which meant that he would change his club if new options were presented to him.
Initially, Turkish clubs Fenerbahce and Besiktas were interested in Robinho, but the Brazilian had different plans. He had already wasted a lot of opportunity, so he decided to go for a transfer either in Italy or in Spain. Barcelona was the major contender for Robinho, but they clinched a deal with Liverpool over Javier Mascherano. After this deal, their squad looked in perfect shape, so no further signings were required.
From Italy, AC Milan was showing an interest in Robinho. However, the officials at Milan said that Robinho would only be bought if a deal for Zlatan Ibrahimovic fails. Ibrahimovic was signed on a loan deal from Barcelona, and things were looking bad for Robinho. Despite the initial statements, Milan decided to go for the Brazilian, and they clinched a deal in the final moments of the transfer deadline.
It is reported that a fee in the region of only £12.5 million has been agreed upon by City and Milan. This is a great deal for Milan, as Robinho came to City on a deal which was almost three times as big as this. A four-year contract has been signed by the Brazilian, and after passing his medical test, he has officially been made member of the AC Milan squad.
Milan is definitely looking for a title challenge, as Inter Milan’s hegemony has been going on for far too long. With Jose Mourinho out of the picture, and Rafael Benitez in his place, things look relatively easier. However, Inter is supported by a number of quality players, so Milan had to improve in order to pose a challenge. There have been significant improvements in the team, as Ibrahimovic was already present alongside Pato, while Robinho has entered the mix as well.
The Brazilian would not face much difficulty while settling in his new circumstances. Already he has Ronaldinho and Pato in his team, who are also his international teammates. An understanding between these three players is already present, which means that Robinho would be set to play in relatively small time. AC Milan looks strong, and Inter have already slipped in their first encounter of Serie A. When Ibrahimovic and Robinho get into the mix, things would definitely be even better for Milan.
Tags: